Naruto stirred awake in a surreal, blinding white void that stretched infinitely in every direction. Confusion washed over him as he scanned the emptiness, his heart pounding in his chest. Suddenly, a shadowy figure coalesced before him, a silhouette drenched in darkness that seemed to absorb the very light around it. As the figure turned to face him, Naruto felt a chill run down his spine; it possessed no face, no features—only an unsettling, smooth expanse where a visage should have been.
"Hello, boy," the figure intoned, its voice dripping with an eerie calmness, as if it had witnessed eons pass. "Who and what are you? And where are we?" Naruto's voice trembled with confusion and a touch of defiance.
"I am everything and Nothing," it declared grandly. "The creator and the destroyer. To put it simply, I am the God of all that exists, within and beyond this reality—and every reality."
"What does that even mean?" Naruto shouted, frustration rising within him like a tempest. The figure merely chuckled, the sound resonating like distant thunder.
"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?" Naruto's shout echoed into the void, anger flaring like a flame.
"Nothing, boy," said the figure lightly, with a trace of mischief in its tone. "But let's get to the heart of why you are here."
Naruto leaned in, his curiosity piqued despite his initial irritation. "Okay, so get to the point, ah ah."
"Asmodeus," the figure stated, a slim smile unfurling across its featureless visage. "Asmodeus is my name."
"Alright, get to the point, Asmodeus!" Naruto urged, frustration bubbling to the surface.
Asmodeus's eyes—if they could be called that—glinted with amusement. "The reason you have been summoned, young ninja, is that I wish to bestow upon you all of my power."
"WHAT? WHY?" Naruto exclaimed, his mind reeling with disbelief at the proposition.
"Simply put, I am bored," Asmodeus replied, sounding delightfully unhinged. "I wish to witness what a mortal from your world will do with power that transcends even existence itself."
Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "But before that, you must train for it," Asmodeus stated, his tone shifting from playful to serious, a hint of excitement threading through his words.
"Train?" Naruto echoed lazily, disbelief creeping into his voice. "If you're the God of everything, can't you just grant me the powers without any drawbacks?" He infused his inquiry with a layer of sarcasm, but Asmodeus merely chuckled darkly.
"Yes, I could simply grant it, but I want you to work for it," he replied, laughter spilling like chaotic echoes through the void. "Now, we shall begin."
"B-but I need to start the Ninja Academy today!" Naruto protested, genuine concern etching deep lines on his face.
"Fear not," Asmodeus reassured him, an uncanny calm enveloping the atmosphere. "From the moment this conversation began, an exact clone of you was created—one that looks, acts, and will develop just as you would have, had you not come here."
With a reluctant sigh that faded into a blossoming smile, Naruto replied, "Alright, let's do this."
"But wait, how long will this training take?" he asked, curiosity sparking once more.
"Four years," Asmodeus replied simply.
"WHAT?" Naruto shouted, his voice resonating with shock throughout the void.